Jonathan glared at Jet and started to argue, but before he could get a word in, the sound of a loud, blaring alarm filled the ship, warning signs going off all around them.

"Captain Lars! Lieutenant Jonathon! A huge battleship is approaching fast and will be here in about five quads" Rhodonite yelled from her spot in front of the wheel. "Like I said. This is my fight." Jonathan said, standing and brushing past Jet to stare out the window as the large, green ship stopped right in front of them.

"I predict the Destiny Destroyer has caught up to us!" Padparadscha exclaimed, mortified.

"It's okay, Padparadscha." Lars said, coming to stand next to Jonathon, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "So. They're pulling out the big guns just for us, huh?" he said, a small smirk coming to his face.

"Why do you look so smug? With a ship like that, Emerald and Hessonite could wipe us out instantly." Jet said, rubbing her temples. "See, this is what I'm talking about. You kids don't know what-"

"She doesn't want to wipe us out." Jonathan interrupted, looking up at Lars with a grin.

"Of course she wants to!" Rhodonite exclaimed, shocked.

"We have an incoming message from the Destiny Destroyer." The Rutile twin on the right said, looking up at Jonathon and Lars, nodding when she was given the go ahead to play the message.

"Did you idiots really think we wouldn't be able to track our ship?" Hessonite said, glaring smugly at the Off-Colors. "The specialized Novathrusters my darling companion thought of adding to our Sun Incinerator gave off an energy signature so strong I can recognize on the other side of the galaxy if I needed to. Now. Surrender, or be destroyed."

The gems looked on in shock, exchanging a look as Lars laughed. "I'd never surrender to you. Blow us into stardust like you want." he said, waving a hand nonchalantly.

Hessonite grit her teeth at the cockiness of the pathetic, Off-Color human. "Very well! Prepare for destruction!" she snapped before disconnecting the line.

…

"What are you doing?" Emerald said, looking over her companion's shoulder as the line disconnected and Hessonite started to put in the instructions to destroy the Sun Incenerator.

"Exactly what I threatened. I'm not going to let those stupid, snot nosed humans take our ship. The Diamonds want them shattered, and they aren't putting up a fight, so I'm taking advantage of this turn of events." she said, a manic grin on her face as she raised her hand to decisively destroy the gems who had snuck into her and Emerald's base. Before she could, however, Emerald caught her wrist.

"No. We are not destroying the Sun Incinerator."

Hessonite groaned, pulling her hand away and rubbing her temples. "And why the hell not?"

"Because we've had it for thousands of years! I'd rather them leave with it damaged and potentially track them down again than just destroy the whole thing!" Emerald protested.

"Why are you so upset about a ship that originally belonged to me? We rarely ever use that ship since we got the Sun Incinerator, and it's so outdated it's practically a liability at this point. If you feel so passionately about it, we can just get another Sun Incinerator." Hessonite said.

"It's not the same, though." Emerald said, gesturing to the Sun Incinerator. "You gave that ship to me after our first victory against the Crystal Gems, and that's the ship we used together for most of our missions. I'm…" the gem groaned, rubbing her temples as she continued. "I'm attached to it, Hess. I can't just destroy it in a blaze of glory."

Hessonite glanced from the controls in front of her to Emerald before letting out a deep sigh and turning back to the controls, the sound of tapping filling the air as Emerald peeked through her fingers, watching Hessonite work with baited breath..

…

"Drop the shields, Rhodonite." Jonathan order, high fiving Lars with a smug grin.

"But-but that would lead us open to their attack! We wouldn't stand a chance!" Jet protested.

"Rhodonite. Ignore her. Look, just trust me, okay? We'll be just fine!" Jonathan insisted.

Rhodonite hesitated as she looked from Jonathon to Lars, who nodded. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to the controls and did as she was ordered.

As soon as the shields had been let down, the ship shook violently as the Destiny Destroyer opened fire.

"We're…still alive?" Rhodonite said, shocked. Jonathan nodded with a grin, glancing at the Rutile twins. "What's the status report on the ship?"

"Our weapons and shields have been knocked offline…but otherwise we're fine!" the twins said, shocked.

Jonathan and Lars let out a whoop of victory.

"I predict that Hessonite is going to attack - but she is going to miss! On purpose!" Padparadscha said with a grin as the communicator lit up again, Hessonite's furious face staring the gems down.

"What do you think you're doing?!" the gem snarled, her hatred for the humans growing as Lars laughed.

"Wow! You really do have a heart, don't you Hessonite?" Jonathan teased, laughing as well.

"You're not going to hurt this ship. Emerald loves this ship." Lars insisted, pointing at the orange gem.

Hessonite scoffed. "And why would the feelings of my companion factor into whether or not I would kill all of you?" she asked smugly.

Jonathon snickered. "You're the one who referred to her as your 'darling companion.' " he said, putting air quotes around the last two words, the gems on board the Sun Incinerator bursting into laughter at the way Hessonite's cheeks flushed a dark orange, Emerald lowering her hands in shock at the boys words and Hessonite's reaction. "You'd much rather let the ship get away so you can hunt it down later and return it to her rather than destroy it."

Hessonite stumbled and stuttered for a rebuttal as she quickly shut the communicator off, her face still a dark orange.

"Alright guys, we're out of options. Our weapons and shields are off-line, and we can't use the evasive maneuvers forever. We have to use…that." Jonathan said, looking up at Lars, who nodded as loud protests filled the air.

"What's "that"?" Steveonnie asked, cocking her head to the side.

"The captain's experimental fighter jet that only he knows how to drive. It's way too risky!" Rhodonite protested.

"Like I said. We're out of options." Lars said.

"But, Lars! They need you on the ship." Stevonnie protested, snapping their fingers and beaming at the boy. "Captain Lars, permission to go in your place? If it's anything like driving a car, I should be fine."

"Absolutely not! Guys this is crazy!" Jet protested.

"Granted." Lars said, ignoring the Onyx as he sat in his chair and pressed a button causing a green blob engulf them from the floor, pulling them into a chute, dumping them unceremoniously into the smaller fighter jet, immediately beginning to pilot towards the Destiny Destroyer, which started firing at the fighter jet.

"Five more minutes until the weapons and shields are back up." Florite informed the gems, Stevonnie letting out a whoop of excitement as they got in close to the Destiny Destroyer, aiming in quick succession, expertly diving and weaving to avoid getting hit while simultaneously firing on the ship and taking down the main guns in quick succession. As the fusion was making their way back to the Sun incinerator, however, a loud, blaring alarm sounded in the jet, immediately taking the fusion out of their train of thought just long enough to not have the time to dodge out of the way of a missile, the result causing the ship to shake violently nd begin to fall towards a planet below.

"Stevonnie! What's going on?!" Lars demanded, peering into the communicator on the sun Incinerator.

"I-I don't know!" Stevonnie yelled back. "I was on my way back to you guys, but this alarm started and-" the fusion froze when a Diamond insignia filled the window in front of them, immediately killing their connection to Lars as a message at the bottom reading "URGENT - INCOMING BROADCAST FROM THE DIAMONDS" flashed in front of their eyes.

Stevonnie stared in shock as the alarm stopped abruptly, the Diamond insignia being replaced by a Pearl with a golden complexion, long, flowing white hair, and piercing eyes smiled at the camera as the ship rocketed closer and closer towards the planet below.

…

"Greetings, all of Homeworld. Apologies if we have not had a chance to meet. The Diamonds have me extremely preoccupied with setting up some big changes coming to all of Homeworld. They are aware of the disastrous rumors flying through all of Homeworld about a potential mass shattering, and I am here broadcasting this message to tell all of you that these rumors are untrue. The Diamonds care for each and every gem in their court, and could never even think of shattering one gem without reason - let alone their entire court. This 'evidence' that has been presented has been rigorously combed through by our best Zircons, and after vigorous trials and a few shattering, I am pleased to tell you that this report - " the gem said, holding up the report they had been given, "is entirely fake. It was forged by that pathetic excuse for a Pearl, and then diestributed by some poor Amethyst guards dumb enough to believe it." she said, rolling her eyes before her smile returned.

"But hey, don't take my word for it! In celebration of the big future plans of Homeworld, we are holding a ball! We have not had a reason to celebrate in eons, so to show there is nothing to fear, the Diamonds are ordering any and every gem in their - and Pink's - court to attend! Any missions that are currently going on are to be put on hold, as we cannot guarantee there will ever be a chance like this again." the gem's bright smile faltered for a moment before returning, this time with a hint of malice.

"The Diamonds wish to grace you with their presence. Do not anger them by refusing to show up."

…

"The Diamonds are putting their plan into action!"

"What if they come for us after the ball?!"

"They're going to shatter everyone!"

"I predict the Diamonds are going to have their Pearl broadcast us a message telling everyone to attend a ball where they will be shattered!"

"See, Jonathan? This is why I told you we needed to leave! It's far too dangerous out here!"

"Everybody STOP." Jonathan yelled, bringing his hand down hard on his chair, his eyes flashing a bright, vibrant pink and stunning everyone into silence as Hessonite and Emerald made a hasty retreat to Homeworld.

"Panicking now is not going to solve anything. If anything, it's going to make things worse." Lars agreed, putting a comforting hand on the Lieutenant's shoulder. "Let's just find Stevonnie and get back home." he said, turning his attention to the communicator when he heard an incoming message.

"Lars! We're hit. And nothing's working!"

Lars gasped. "What?! What are your coordinates? We'll try to intercept you and get back." Silence. "Hello?! Steven? Connie? Stevonnie?" the boy sighed when he didn't receive an answer. "Damnit. Lost signal."

"We'll start triangulating the location on the ship to see if we can get a signal." The Rutile twins said, the other Off-Colors nodding in agreement. "Yes. Any friends of Lars and Jonathon are friends of us."

"Thanks guys. I'll start preparing a health kit for when they get back. With the ship damaged, it'll probably crash land, so we need to be able to help them if they're hurt." Jonathon said, standing from his chair and making his way to the captain's quarters.

"I'll help." Jet offered, making her way to follow Jonathon, who threw her a dirty look over his shoulder. "No. I want to be alone right now." he said, turning and biting his lower lip at the look of hurt that flashed over the Onyx's face as he made his way to his quarters, the door sliding short decisively behind him.

…

"Oh boy." Stevonnie groaned as they picked themselves up, staring at the ship's wreckage in shock as they began to make their way around the planet.

"Where are we, anyway?" the fusion muttered, clutching Rose's sword as they began to explore the area, occasionally calling for any gems that might be out there to help them as they began to hunt for some way to contact the Sun Incinerator. Gasping, the fusion's eyes widened in excitement when they spotted the cockpit and ran over to it, desperately turning the dials in hopes of reaching Lars.

"Hello? Lars! We need help out here. Please!"

Nothing.

Sighing, the fusion stood, dejectedly kicking the hunk of metal before turning to observe their surroundings, hugging themselves. "What do we do now? That was our best chance. We can't fix the radio, the ship's beyond hope - what do we do?"

The fusion's wallowing was cut short by a rustling in some nearby bushes, immediately putting them on high alert as they slowly drew their weapon just in time to be attacked by a four legged, arachnid like creature with four eyes that immediately pounced on them.

"An alien?!" Stevonnie said, shocked as she managed to dodge the creature, swiftly bringing the sword down on them to split it in two. Just as they were about to let their guard down, one half of the creature sprung to life, regrowing their legs that had been sliced off to scamper into a nearby bush, hissing at the fusion before disappearing.

"Okay." Stevonnie said, taking a deep breath as they stabbed their sword into the other half of the creature. "If life can thrive here, then so can I. I just need to survive long enough for Lars to find me. Until then? We survive."

For the rest of the day, Stevonnie took advantage of the daylight hours by collecting plants, and finding nearby streams they could drink from, all the while taking the time to observe the beauty of the planet around them. When nightfall came and they had set up a tent to get comfortable, the fusion groaned when they heard a loud rumbling from their stomach. They needed food. Like actual food. Meat.

"I don't want to do this." Stevonnie muttered as they made their way through the darkening area, their eyes widening when they saw a defenseless, small, green, birdlike animal out in the open. "Come on. We have to. We're all out of energy bars, and it'll be good protein." The fusion said, kneeling and reaching out to the creature, their movements hesitant.

"But…but it's so cute."

Before the fusion could make a decision, a shadow loomed over them, causing the fusion to slowly turn and let out a shriek of fright that was overpowered to the far larger mother bird that was looming over them.

"Okay! Fruit it is!" Stevonnie yelled, jumping up and making a run for it, the monster at their heels chasing them into a closed off area just in time for them to skid to a halt and put their hands on their knees, breathing heavily.

"Well. Guess I'm camping here tonight." The fusion muttered as they swiftly set up a hammock, only taking time to glance over their shoulder at the sound of the roar of the mother bird. "Well. Goodnight Stevonnie. Sweet dreams." the fusion said, yawning and closing their eyes as a deep sleep overtook them.

"You were told to be prepared cycles ago. There will be no more excuses. Get it done." Stevonnie groaned as they sat up, looking around in confusion when they realized they were at the Mahashwaren residence. "What? I'm….home? What is she talking about?" they said, making their way to where the voice was coming from, surprised to see Doctor Mahashwaren sitting in a large chair, talking angrily into a phone.. "And don't expect me to look kindly upon this transgression. Embark at once. Yes, I know there's organic life on the surface, it's an invasion."

"Mom! What are you talking about!" Stevonnie called, barely managing to roll out of Doctor Maheshwaren's way as they walked across the room as Doctor Mahashwaren continued. "You will stick to my orders and you will destroy them!"

Stevonnie groaned. "I hate when she ignores me." the fusion muttered angrily, beginning teh process of maneuvering the giant room towards Dr. Maheswaran, who continued to angrily rant into the phone.

"No. Hm. No. I will not repeat myself. Hm. That is simply unacceptable."

"Hey, Mom!" Stevonnie yelled, jumping onto Doctor Mahashwaren's coat and climbing up to her shoulder.

"Well, you'll have to remember, won't you? The dullness of this exchange tires me. Just land the dropships and do your pathetic job for once. Or I'll shatter you and your crew myself." Doctor Mahashwaren said, finally looking down angrily when Stevonnie pushed her phone away and shouted into her ear.

"Honey, please. Give me a moment." Doctor Mahashwaren said, picking Stevonnie off her shoulders and setting them down on the floor before sitting on a chair and summoning a panel with her hand, ignoring Stevonnie as they looked around at the Moon Base.

"What are you doing?" Stevonnie asked curiously, looking up as Doctor Mahashwaren's clothes changed to the uniform of Yellow Diamond.

Yellow Diamond sighed, irritated that the gem hadn't left her alone yet. "I'm commanding the dropships to colonize this planet." they said dismissively, rolling her eyes when the gem got excited. "I wanna command a dropship!"

Yellow Diamond snickered. "Well, when you have your own colony, you can command whatever you want."

Stevonnie's eyes lit up. "I want a colony!" they said.

Yellow Diamond scoffed, unamused as she continued to work.

Frustrated again at being ignored, Stevonnie stomped their foot in annoyance. "I want one now! In fact, I want more than one colony!"

Yellow Diamond groaned, finally turning her attention to Stevonnie. "You can have your own colony when you're mature enough to take care of the gems we give you. Why would we give you a whole colony when White has already had to fix one of your P-"

"Why do you always bring that up? It's not my fault she was so easily broken." Stevonnie muttered, crossing their arms in front of their chest. "A perfect gem wouldn't break so easily. You and Blue have gems that are amazing, brilliant, and awesome! IYou have so many worlds and I don't even have one!" The fusion said, stomping their feet in anger. "It's not fair! I. Want. One! I want my own army! I want my own planet! I deserve it! I'm just as important as you!" she said, gesturing angrily at Yellow Diamond, who finally lost her patience.

"Then why don't you act like it, Pink?!" she snapped. "I've had it up to here with your outbursts. You wanted a Pearl? We got you a Pearl. But oh, look! We had to get you another Pearl far sooner than we should have had to. It was a perfectly good gem, but even that one still isn't good enough for you. Nothing is good enough for you because White has spoiled you absolutely rotten." she said, rubbing her temples as Stevonnie walked away, shaking with anger as they clutched their arm as they came to a stop in front of the windows of the observatory.

"I deserve a colony. I deserve an army. I deserve PERFECTION." Stevonnie yelled, punching the windows of the observatory, gasping in shock when they saw Pink Diamond's reflection in the broken glass.

…

"Any luck?" Jonathan asked as he came back from his quarters, collapsing into his chair, exhausted.

"Unfortunately, no. We've been searching for hours, but still, no luck." Rhodonite said, biting her lower lip in apprehension.

"I'm sure they're fine. This is Stevonnie we're talking about, after all." Jonathan said, taking a deep breath, his voice sounding more like he was trying to convince himself than the gems around him as he rubbed his temples, closing his eyes to attempt to alleviate some of the stres. The momentarily relief was cut off, however, when he felt a familiar hand run its fingers through his hair.

"Jet, I'm not a hundred anymore." Jonathan said, not opening his eyes.

"I know." Jet said before pausing and pursing her lips. "Actually…no. I don't know." she corrected herself, sitting on Jonathon's armchair, the two lapsing into a tense silence. "You're not a kid anymore. I shouldn't have come here to try to force you to come with me. You're right. This fight is as much yours as it is mine. The Diamonds hurt people you care about, so of course you don't just want to run and hide. As much as I want to force you to come back to Earth with me…it wouldn't be right. You'd be worried sick about your crew. I can see it etched in your face. You care about them like I care about you. You don't want anything bad to happen to them. I should have never tried to convince you to leave. And…" the gem paused, looking away for a moment. "I'm sorry. I won't force you to go back to Earth with me. Just, please. Be careful out here, Lieutenant Jonathon. I don't know what I'd do with myself if you got hurt."

Jonathan opened his eyes, surprised to see the Onyx's eyes welled with tears. Standing slowly, the boy made his way to stand in front of Jet before hugging her tightly, burying his face into her shirt. "Thank you, Jet. I'll be safe. I promise." he said, smiling up at the gem, his eyes becoming misty as well. "If Rose Quartz can survive the Diamonds, so can we."

"A human knows about Rose Quartz?" The Rutile twins said, all of the Off-Colors immediately having their attention ripped from their screens at the mention of the Quartz soldier.

Jonathon nodded. "Yeah! Jet's told me the story of Rose Quartz thousands of times. I even bombarded her son Steven about it when I first got here because I was fascinated by her, and he told me the story as well because he'd heard it from one of his moms named Garnet - a fusion between a Ruby and a Sapphire."

Rhodonite gasped. "Rose Quartz was an Anti-Gem! She was an organic beast that burst from the Earth's crust and swore to destroy us all!"

"I heard she was made from a vein of hyper-defective Quartz. A malformed Quartz gone haywire!" the rutile twins said, shocked.

"Don't be silly! Rose Quartz isn't real!" Fluorite said, shaking her head.

Jet and Jonathon's jaws dropped. "What? No! That's not true! None of that stuff is true!" Jonathan protested, the Off-Colors fully giving him their full attention.

"Of course that's how they tell it on Homeworld." Jet muttered, crossing her arms in frustration.

Jonathan pursed his lips. "Jet, keep an eye out for a signal from Stevonnie. Everyone else? Gather round. I'm going to tell you the story of the real Rose Quartz."

"Ay, Lieutenant." Jert said, affectionately ruffling Jonathon's hair and making her way to the chair the Rutile twins were sitting in, the Off-Colors coming to sit in front of Jonathon as he began his tale.

"Thousands of years ago, The Diamonds saw themselves as completely flawless beings and wanted to expand that perfection across all of the galaxy. So, Pink Diamond set her eyes on Earth, deciding it would make a good colony and place to create her gems. She didn't care about the life already there, with the only exception being the humans, who she decided to kidnap and place in a Zoo for the rest of their lives as they…amused her." Jonathan said, a dark shadow crossing his face as he continued.

"While she was fond of the humans in her Zoo, however, she didn't truly care for them. The conditions were horrific. Gems didn't know enough about humans to properly care for them,and the Diamonds didn't care enough to teach them. People died." he said, glaring at the ground. "And nobody cared. Except Rose." he said, lifting his gaze to look over the Off-Colors, who had given him their full attention.

"Rose Quartz not only cared about Earth - she cared about humans. In fact, she cared so much that she would make trips to the Zoo in her spare time, eventually beginning to try to talk them into improvements to the Zoo. Everyone ignored her and brushed her aside. That was, until, a human woman died in the care of the gemsat the Zoo by sheer incompetence." Jonathon sid, gritting his teeth. "Childbirth. It is a very basic concept that Rose had been a witness to on many occasions, but gems were so unempathetic and uncaring that they were unknowledgeable and ill informed about the signs of pregnancy and how to deliver children. Mother and son died by the hands of sheer incompetence. Rose was furious." Jonathon said, clenching the arms of his chair as he told the story, growing enclosed in the retelling himself.

"That was the first time she healed someone to the point she brought them back to life. The only downside? It left the humans she healed as a different color. A bright, brilliant pink." he said, pausing to let the gems register his words, each dropping their jaw in amazement.

Jet stood up from the controls and made her way over to Jonathon, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder as the boy took a deep breath and looked away, momentarily unable to continue. "After that….Rose was unable to keep her findings secret, and she began asking her fellow Gems if they knew of the life on Earth. If they knew the beauty of humanity. She continued to pry her fellow Kindergartners and gems at the Zoo with questions so odd that word of her eventually made its way to Pink Diamond, who was furious and summoned her to her quart, demanding to know what the gem was saying that was causing such a fuss. When Rose Quartz pleaded with her to leave the planet and spare the lives there…Pink Diamond refused and laughed at the Quartz soldier for her incompetence before sending her back to her duties. But Rose Quartz just….she couldn't. She couldn't just aide in the destruction of Earth and she decided to fight, using her time to try to convince any gem she could think of to fight with her, occasionally making her way to the Zoo and hoping they loved humanity as much as she did. To the dismay of the Diamonds, Rose's message eventually began to resonate. Gems from the Kindergarten began to rebel, and even gems at the Zoo lost their lives in the fight. Any gem near her found themselves with a target on their back." Jet said, looking away.

"But, Rose found herself with allies. Gems that were cast out for being wrong." she said, looking up at the Off-Colors with a smile. "A ragtag crew consisting of a Pearl who belonged to no one, a Bismuth who built weapons for rebels instead of towers for tyrants, an entirely new fusion, for not power, but for love, and countless others, all inspired by Rose to live for ourselves on Earth. She was their leader and Earth was their home. And those who fought to save it and their freedom became known as the Crystal Gems."

"Fighting for their... freedom?" Fluorite said, the Off-Colors exchanging a look of shock.

Jonathan nodded. "Yes. It was an impossible fight, but they fought anyway. And the more gems who saw them, the more who joined. Even the gems that didn't outwardly flee to Earth to be Crystal Gems resisted the Diamonds and what they stood for, like the gems at the Zoo who risked their lives to protect me. Gems fought and died for the sake of their freedom. But Pink Diamond's forces proved too strong. Rose feared that soon she would have nothing left to protect. So…she shattered Pink Diamond. She wanted to save the Earth from her reign of terror because she loved Earth and humanity. The other Diamonds were furious. In a last-ditch attempt to wipe out the Rebellion, the Diamonds launched a direct attack against Earth, and in their fury, they used their powers to end the fighting once and for all." he said, looking down sadly.

"But." jet said, giving Jonathon's shoulder a small squeeze. "That isn't the end of this story. Not by a long shot. See…many Crystal Gems died in the fight. But not all of them. Jonathon, Lars, and I have met the ones left, and they are still fighting for Earth."

"But…who is left?" Rhodonite asked, her eyes widening.

Jet smiled. "More than you think." she said, snapping her fingers and depicting the gems she was referring to as she spoke. "Now, the Crystal Gems consist of two of the gems we've told you about - a Pearl who belongs to noone, and the fusion of a Ruby and a Sapphire. The other gems that have joined consist of a defective Amethyst guard, a Peridot without her limb enhancers, an Off-Color human, an Onyx who became attached to humanity, and, of course, a defective Pearl."

Padparadscha gasped. "I predict Freshwater has joined the Crystal Gems!"

Jet nodded. "Exactly, Padparadscha. And, believe it or not, she is incredibly happy." she said, smiling as a holographic Freshwater took a holographic Pearl's hand and stood on tiptoe, planting a kiss on the gem's nose, both gems staring lovingly into each other's eyes as they disappeared in a flash of light.

"And…there is always room for new recruits." Jonathan said, offering the Off-Colors a small smile, who all exchanged a look.

"You are all happy…on Earth?" the rutile twins said, shocked.

Jonathan and Jet nodded. "Yes. That's also where I met my best friend." Jonathan said, grinning as he hugged Lars, the teen rolling his eyes but unable to keep a small smile from coming to his face.

"Yeah, Earth's pretty cool. Don't take our word for it, though. You can see for yourselves, and then, if you want, you can join the Crystal Gems." he said with a smile.

The Off-Colors exchange a look. "That sounds lovely." Florite said, smiling as the Off-Colors nodded in agreement.

Jonathan beamed at the gems. "Oh man this is going to be amazing! Steven'll have to teach you guys the theme song like he taught me! It'll be-"

"Lars! Hey Lars! Lars!"

Jonathan's head immediately snapped over to the communicator, the attention shifting to Stevonnie as their face popped on screen and her voice filled the ship, the gems immediately running over and bombarding the fusion with questions. .

"Stevonnie!"

"What happened?"

"I predict Stevonnie found a way to reach out to us!"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine! Just a few scratches and scrapes." Stevonnie insisted, relief washing over their face. "It's so good to see you!"

"Set a course for their signal!" Lars said, relieved as well. "It's good to see you too, Stevonnie. We're on our way."

…

"I still can't believe those MORONS got away with our ship!" Emerald ranted, throwing her arms up in exasperation as she slammed the door to her base, the gem immediately beginning to pace back and forth angrily.

"I can. You've been ranting about it the whole way back." Hessonite said, rolling her eyes as she grabbed a broom, starting to angrily sweep up the bits of broken glass from the display case. "I shouldn't have been stupid enough to even let a single Ruby guard in here. Yeah it was unlikely that she and the Pearl would unfuse, but unlikelihood is not the same thing as impossibility." she muttered.

Emerald grimaced, grabbing a dustpan and holding it while her orange companion swept. "Everyone makes mistakes, Hessonite. Even someone as perfect as you."

Hessonite groaned. "Don't flatter me." she said, rolling her eyes.

"I'm not." Emerald said, rolling her eyes as well."Damn, why are you so stubborn?"

Hessonite snickered. "Says the gem who insisted on not destroying the Sun Incinerator."

Emerald arched an eyebrow. "You know good and damn well you could have destroyed that ship if you wanted to. You outrank me, after all."

Hessonite sighed, putting the broom away as Emerald dumped the contents of the dustpan into the trash. "You and I both know I didn't destroy that hunk of junk because I'm attached to it."

"Then why'd you intentionally miss?" Emerald said, exasperation filling her voice.

"Because you are attached to that ship." Hessonite snapped, rubbing her temples and attempting to retreat to her study. She didn't have time for this.

Emerald caught the orange gem's arm, turning her to face her and searching her eyes for…something. After a long moment, the gem let go with a shit-eating grin.

"You've gone soft on me, haven't you, Hess?" she said, laughing. "Oh man, I can't believe the human was right. What were his words again? Something like 'You'd much rather let the ship get away so you can hunt it down later and return it to her rather than destroy it.'"

Hessonite's face flushed a deep, dark orange as she rolled her eyes and tried to look away. "Don't flatter yourself." she muttered. "I just didn't want to have to be the poor soul that had to listen to you babble incoherently about a stupid ship."

"A stupid ship that you gave me after we moved in together." Emerald said, smirking.

Hessonite groaned. "If I admit I've gone soft, will you let go of my arm so I can go finish my report?" she said, rolling her eyes.

"Only if you aren't just saying it to placate me." Emerald said, scoffing.

Hessonite rolled her eyes. "Fine. I have gone soft. It's been years since I've seen combat with a gem that actually gave me some hassle." she muttered, the memory of the renegade Pearl from so long ago flashing across her mind. "Yeah, we've had some exxcellent beatles since then, but honestly I've grown…bored. Complacent, I guess. I train every day, and the only worthwhile battle I've had since then was against a bunch of Off-Colors. And I let one of them sneak into our base, for Diamonds sake. I didn't think ahead and expect the unexpected because I suppose I've become…comfortable due to the lack of intense missions and action. Living here with another elite has made me so complacent and comfortable that I couldn't even destroy a ship that would have immediately finished our mission because the gem I've lived with for so long would have had their 'feelings' hurt." the orange gem said, rolling her eyes.

"If the Diamonds hadn't canceled all missions until further notice, we would be in extremely hot water, Emerald. All because you're correct. I have gone soft. I couldn't care les about that stupid ship, but I know you cared about it. So I missed. On purpose." she said, looking away in anger. "It was an idiotic decision."

"Well…I would have done the same if the roles were reversed."

"Don't placate me."

Emerald rolled her eyes. "I'm serious."

Hessonite scoffed. "Then prove it."

Emerald hesitated, looking away and contemplating her next move. Before Hessonite could interject, the gem swiftly pulled Hessonite closer, planting a kiss on her cheek before relinquishing her and turning, her face a dark green.

"I care about you more than I care about that stupid ship, Hess. Anything that is important to you is important to me. I don't even care about the stupid awards we've won together over the years. It's more about the memories and sentimental value. I know it sounds dumb, but-"

Emerald jumped when she heard a loud knocking on their front door. Exchanging a look, Hessonite made her way ver to the oor, doing her best to shake away the shocked look on her face from the kiss.

"Aah. Gold Pearl. Pleasure to see you in person at long last." Hessonite said, nodding down at the gem.

Gold Pearl smiled broadly. "The same goes to you, your radiance." she said, bowing low. "I am pleased to see you and Emerald have returned from your mission. Have those pesky Off-Colors been dealt with?"

Hessonite hesitated, her eyes flickering inside before returning to Gold Pearl. "Of course. We shot down the Sun Incinerator, so they will not be an issue any longer. We were just about to write our report when you knocked."

Gold Pearl nodded, popping up with a smile. "Oh, the Sun incinerator! What a shame. The Diamonds say that was Emerald's favorite ship. She is handling the loss well, I assume? The Destiny Destroyer is a far better ship, after all."

Hessonite nodded. "Yes, she is handling the loss perfectly fine. A little upset, as most gems would be, but the success of destroying the Off-Colors has heightened our spirits."

Gold Pearl's grin widened. "Perfect. And you are aware of the Ball, I assume?"

Hessonite nodded. "Of course. We wouldn't miss it for the world."

Gold Pearl's smile faltered slightly. "We?"

Hessonite fumbled for a moment. "Apologies for not clarifying. I will not miss it. And Emerald stated she would be there as well and is looking forward to it."

Gold Pearl hesitated before her smile returned, this time seeming more canine-like. "Aah, thank you for the clarification. I thought you meant you would be coming together as a crew."

Hessonite froze but laughed loudly, doing her best to wave the gem off. "Oh, no. Of course not. That is preposterous."

Gold Pearl shook her head, shrugging. "Maybe to you, Hessonite. But like it or not, gems talk. And word has it that you two are currently sharing a base together, and she was the first gem you went to to get the Sun Incinerator back. That combined with the fact that you two have been on many battles together and well…you can see why rumors would fly, right? And the rumors going around about the Perfect Pearl experiment aren't true, yet they are still seen as fact! I spent many rotations shattering gems for rumors that wound up not to be true." she said, cocking her head to the side. "I would hate for gems to start believing that two elites of different gem types are in a relationship. Because then I'd have to shatter them both. And I don't want that. And neither do you." she said, her form flickering to a dark, shadowy figure with bright white eyes and a broad grin.

"Do you?"